Diamonds in the Fluff: 8 Great Snowboards for Winter

Sub Title: Diamonds in the Fluff: 8 Great Snowboards for Winter

Snowboard designs are only getting more specialized. There will always be plenty of all-mountain boards to choose from, since that's what most people are most comfortable riding. But the whackier edges of the spectrum — banana boards, park boards, camber hybrids, split boards, powder-specific boards — are thick with innovation.

We got the opportunity to test a crop of new boards for three days last week, just after the first snow fell in California's Lake Tahoe region. We carried several quivers of hardware up the Funitel at Squaw Valley and rode each of the boards for at least a full day, trying them both on their intended terrains and across the rest of the mountain.

The only thing we couldn't properly test (due to snow conditions in the backcountry) was K2's new split board, so look for a full review of that later, as well as video reviews of a couple of the more interesting rides in this list. Also, you can read the rest of our reviews from our trip to the misty mountains in our previous round-up.

Burton Root

Snowboard length has traditionally been one of those things you determine once, and that's it — that's the size board you ride. Burton's new line of boards with what it calls "Nug Raduction" lets riders reduce the size of their boards by 8 to 10 centimeters without losing any of the characteristics they've grown used to. The result is a lighter, smaller board with big board stability.

The Burton Root I rode ($450) is actually 12 centimeters smaller than my usual board, and after a few minutes of adjusting to the smaller size, it was a joy to ride. The board eschews the traditional camber and rocker with a "Flat Top" shape that extends to the rise of the tip and the tail. Add the slightly wider base and something called Squeeze Box (Burton loves the puns) that enhances flexibility under the bindings while adding stiffer sections outside the foot area, and the board ends up with the feel and stability of a larger board.

Because of the smaller size, it's a fun board to toss around the groomers, park and trees. But, it loses all its fun when it encounters ice. The perfect second board. — Roberto Baldwin

Ride Machete GT

This year, Ride released a stiffer, faster version of the Machete, one of its flagship boards. The Machete GT ($550) sports a few upgrades -- most notably, the addition of a micro-cambered shape between the feet, and carbon and urethane inserts located at the board's contact points at either end.

The micro-camber complements the rockered tips with some edge control, while the inserts (aka the "Popwalls") on the edges of the board give you a more stable responsive platform. I also dug the "Membrain" top sheet, a urethane/fabric sheet that not only weighs less than half of a traditional topsheet, but also serves to dampen vibration when hitting rough terrain at high speeds. — Billy Brown

Yes The Greats

An asymmetrical board with a deeper side cut on the heel edge, Yes' The Greats snowboard ($480) seems like a gimmick. But as I rode down the icy face of Squaw's Siberia bowl, suddenly the gimmick turned into a really cool addition that kept me from sliding straight down the face of the mountain. It made the icy sheet much more rideable, proving its worth as a stable all-mountain board ready for the harshest conditions.

It's a Twin CamRock (that's a fancy way of saying it's a camber hybrid) so it has stability in the center of the board while adding a bit of float to the tip and tail. That and the asymmetrical side cut help the board grab onto groomers and ice. It's also stable at high speeds without feeling too stiff. But, it does take a few runs to get used to carving. The center stance makes riding switch easier, but that same stance could make powder runs a bit of a drag. A wonderful all-mountain board. — Roberto Baldwin

Ride Farah

Considering how many boards are touted as having "all-mountain" capabilities, very few manage to live up to the name. Ride's Farah ($500) is one of those rare all-mountain boards that actually, truly rocks on every part of the resort.

The Farah is a fast board, and not for the faint of heart. It flies down just about anything. I easily bombed across traverses that other boards got stuck on. Ride's hybrid all-mountain rocker puts a camber zone underfoot and a little rocker at the nose. This keeps it super responsive with some of the best edge control I've encountered — even through the chop or on the ice. The early-season conditions we were riding in were far from ideal — ice in the morning and slush in the afternoon — but carving was a blast on everything.

Don't forget, all-mountain includes the park too. Even though it's a stiff board overall, Ride's LSD (ladies-specific design) ensures that the board has just enough pop when you need it, so even park noobs will feel rad. — Karissa Bell

Burton Whammy Bar

Yes, it's a Pink Floyd-themed board. And yes, that alone is awesome.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get to the specs: In addition to its bitchin' graphics, Burton's v-rockered Whammy Bar ($420) sports a convex base to keep you from catching an edge while jibbing rails or boxes, while the twin flex provides the same springiness whether you're hitting a jump regular or switch stance. This board is clearly meant for the terrain park.

The rocker and spoon were also handy for rotations off the kickers — thanks to the board's rocker and convex base, I was able to land switch and slide back to my regular stance without any fear of catching an edge. It's a double-edged sword on the rest of the mountain though: I never caught an edge, but the floaty carving made it more difficult to dig in on steep slopes and sketchy terrain. — Billy Brown

Jones Hovercraft

Designed by snowboarding legend Jeremy Jones, the Hovercraft ($400) is made with steep slopes and powder in mind. The wide nose is blunted and rockered to keep it from sinking in deep powder, and the shortened tail makes it easier to lean back and keep that nose up while you get your first tracks.

With its specific design, there's no surprise it's a pow performer. But the true astonishment came when I took it across icy, cruddy snow after an overnight freeze. The underfoot camber and multiple contact points along the edge of the board (like a serrated blade) carved solid lines through everything from slushy groomers to rock-solid ice sheets with ease. Also, the nose-to-tip wood core gave the board plenty of pop, letting me ollie over the occasional protruding rock in Squaw Valley's sparse sidecountry. — Billy Brown

Burton Restricted Custom

More of an all-mountain board than the terrain park-centric Whammy Bar, Burton's Restricted Custom ($530) holds edges better than its rockstar sibling, thanks to its blend of rocker (for float) and camber (for sharp edging).

A rockered shape on the tips of the board and between the rider's feet gives a nice floaty ride, while cambered edges underfoot help to dig in when precision carving is necessary. The board has the ability to really grab the hill when conditions get icy — the slightly extended edges under the feet provided me with a bit more bite when edging at high speeds on steep terrain.

Bonus: For the graphics, you can choose from six classic Muppets characters. — Billy Brown

Ramp Tumbleweed

Designed for those who prefer a one-board quiver, the handmade Tumbleweed ($620) from Utah-based Ramp Sports is a pretty good all-arounder. It combines rockered tips with a flat middle section to give the board a nice, floaty ride. The Tumbleweed's wood core gave it a nice, sprightly feel on the kickers at the terrain park, and the rockered edges kept catching to a minimum. It's one failing was on the steeper slopes, where the lack of camber made it a bit too surfy.

The Tumbleweed's also one of the "greenest" boards I've seen. All the wood for the boards is sourced from renewable forests, and Ramp uses soy- and citrus-based emulsions in the board finishing process. Finally, the company makes a donation worth 300 pounds of carbon offsets for each ski or board sold. — Billy Brown

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